‘The fighting in Somalia can no longer be dismissed as an obscure domestic struggle in an unimportant country of no wider relevance to the world. The crackle of machinegun fire in Mogadishu, the regular thwump of mortars, the ground-shaking shelling by Amisom tanks and the sporadic suicide attacks by delusional youths represent the frontline in the international fight against al-Qaeda.’

Justin Marozzi is a travel writer, historian, journalist and political risk and security consultant. He is the author of South from Barbary (HarperCollins), a travel history of Libya and is writing a history of Baghdad.